Howdy all,

I've got a project that needs direction. The objective is to have fair weather rifle that is nice but no safe queen, light enough for stalking, and in a chamber that fills a different niche from what I already have (Sako 579 243, Featherweight M70 270 Win, Standard M70 .30 Gov't, and an M71 in 348). I hunt deer and pigs, but aspire to hunt mulies, elk, and sheep.

The starting point is a drilled up Pre War model 70 I purchased some time ago, in a custom McMillan Game Scout with a heavy varmint, almost Palma contour 22-250 barrel. I've no use for 22-250 and the rifle is more cumbersome than I'd like.

So, I solicit anyone's ideas and past projects who might share.

Thanks

When I try to come up with a chambering that would complement what's in my safe already, I have a hard time coming up with anything at all. I do find the .224 TTH intriguing, however.

With sheep and elk on your horizon, maybe something like the .26 Nosler? I don't see your current choices as being all that unsuitable, but the .26 is a hot dog.

What length is the magazine stuff?

I'd turn it into a 300 win mag or a 338 win mag if you like larger calibers for elk hunting, or make a classic all around custom rifle with either a nice walnut stock or with a McMillan edge stock. Pick whatever caliber you want from a 257 Roberts. 7x57, 270, Etc.

.25-06? 7x57 would be my choice.

.35 Whelen

I'm thinking a lightweight 7x57 for some reason. I'd also sell the McMillan you have and get a lighter stock. Something more svelte like a hunters compact.

Lots of recommendations here for exotic chamberings. They are fine if you hand-load your rounds, but are a pain if you don't.

As a life-long elk hunter, I second 1911a1's advice; The .300 and .338 Win Mag chamberings are very difficult to beat for elk. They are flat shooters that can deliver a huge amount of energy on a large animal at distance. They are also respectable chamberings for accuracy - certainly good enough for a large target like an elk.

Add to this the fact there is a wide variety of high quality ammo available off-the-shelf, and that they are desirable calibers if you ever decide to sell your rifle, makes either of these chamberings a great choice.

My 2-cents... but it may be worth what you paid for it

Have fun with the project!

Justin

Aggiecubpilot: Some time back I had a custom Rifle built on a Winchester pre-64 Model 70 action. The action is a "Transistion" era model and I chose 280 Remington for the caliber.
My Rifle has done service on Mt. Goat, Mule Deer, Black Bear, Blacktailed Deer, Antelope, Elk and Whitetailed Deer so far.
Some day I will use it on Caribou and Bighorn Sheep - and maybe on Moose if I ever get a tag.
I have COMPLETE confidence in the caliber.
My Rifle has a 25" medium+ barrel.
It shoots like a house on fire, holds LOTS of bullets, is supremely reliable, the safety is exceptionally "safe" and it looks great while doing EVERYTHING I ask it to do.
IF... I had it to do over again I would NOT change a thing - if pressed though I MIGHT consider the 280 Remington Ackley Improved cartridge - maybe.
Best of luck with whichever direction you decide to go.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I say go 300 Weatherby mag. Why halve step, go big or stay at home.

I had my '52 vintage M/70 rebored/rechambered to .35 Whelen, other good choices would be .257 Roberts and .338 Winchester magnum in my opinion.

Many neat recommendations all- I thank you.

BSA must have tarot cards or a crystal ball because I've been thinking lightweight 7x57 all along and I find it very tempting. Might be that a rifle so chambered would be really cool and might wind up being a new favorite for down here in South Texas.

I'd like to stay 30 cal bore diameter or smaller.

I've never been a magnum person, but I feel that the 300 Winchester Mag does have many merits and might find it's own unique role in my battery. I suppose I should consider 7 Mag as well.

Any experience to share on these last two points?

I've owned and hunted with rifles chambered for both cartridges. The 300 uses generally heavier bullets at about the same velocity as the 7mm does with bullets that are somewhat lighter. I think this makes the 300 a more potent cartridge.

But in real life you won't accomplish much with one that you can't do with the other.

The 7mm kicks somewhat less and burns a few grains less powder.

Both are great choices as all round North American BG cartridges.

I'd be very happy with a pre-war M70 in 6.5x55.

7x57 or 35 whelen

I have a prewar 70 with some family history in .270. I have been thinking about dropping some weight and making it more usable for my grandson and his son. It had been drilled and padded by the original owner and is well used, but no rust.

My thoughts run to a .270 custom FW contour barrel, a soft rust blue, change the safety to the last version and a lightweight stock. I don't want to mess with the feed rails so any .30-06 parent case would work. Were I doing it for me, I would do .338-06, but grandson doesn't have the luxury of time to reload.

Maybe my thoughts will give you some ideas of your own.

Be happy,

Jack

A pre-war 70 6.5x55 - that is the long-term plan for one of my old match rifles!

I don't know what it is, it might seem a little odd, but that's just how I was picturing the rifle in my mind. Sweet light, perfect balance, great ballistic standpoint with mild recoil, plus it's a cool old cartridge that doesn't get much mention around here. Kind of like the 6mm rem, which is one of my favorites along with the little 300 savage. However, for potency and gentle mannered, my vote goes for the 7mm mauser.. As for your question about the 300 magnum vs. the 7mm rem mag. I'd choose the 7mm rem mag, hands down over the 300 magnum. Bobin described it well. You get a lot more recoil with the 300 vs. the 7mm rem mag with not a lot more gain (if any, really). The 7mm rem mag is mild mannered (comparable to a 30-06 in recoil), shoots like a laser, and has enough power to knock the hell out of anything in North America. I made my longest 1 shot kill on a mulie buck with a 7mm rem mag at 648 LRF yards (angle comp on= damn near 700 yards with it off). Buck took 1 step and fell over after bullet impact.. Hard to go wrong with the big 7, but that would require much more gunsmithing (and parts) on your rifle. If you would have said, I have this old H&H receiver I need to build a rifle on. It would be a different story: Then my answer would have been something entirely different..... . You guys have seen what I did to my H&H magnum receiver/rifle. It is a pretty bad azzed 338 win mag... . Had I wanted a long range rig, it would have ended up a 7mm rem mag. As it were, though, I was after the ultimate elk rig. Since that is the kind of hunting I love the most... As a matter of fact, that's what I'll be doing tomorrow.

I think if I were the OP I would feel well served by these replies.

Now if he would only opt for the 7x57...

http://s739.photobucket.com/user/ma...e%20Uploads/20161028_183707.jpg.html?o=2

Original 1938 Winchester Model 70 in 30-06 with an original 2 1/2 power Lyman Alaskan.

I have just had a project completed in 7X57 (I called it a 275 Rigby just to be different) There are pics of it posted on this forum under something along the lines of a stalking rifle in 275 Rigby as I recall.

Another option is the 7MM-08 another great cartridge in a short action. The 6.5X55 is a great choice as well. If you were to go the 7MM Mag route I'd opt for the 280 or 280AI. If you don't reload Nosler has factory ammo in 280AI.

At the end of the day the 7X57 is hard to beat.

Good post, I'd love to see that rifle. I'm going to do some searching...

Thanks BSA. It's out there on this forum and in the custom rifle forum. If you can't find it PM me your e mail and I'll send you pics. It's a SWEET rifle if I do say so myself:).

While not a prewar I scratched the itch for a .35 Whelen twenty years ago, I had Randall Redman rebore a worn '06 Standard M/70 of 50's vintage. This year I found a pre'64 Featherweight that had been rebarreled with a Douglass barrel in FW profile in .257 Roberts. I never understood why Winchester never offered the pre'64 FW in .257 Roberts, too similar to the .243 perhaps.

The featherweight was a new rifle in the Winchester lineup at the same time the 243 was a new cartridge. The Roberts was on the way out and the 243 was on the way "in",so the 243 got chambered i the FW along with the 308 and 358....all on the parent 308 case.

It wasn't until around 1980,when the FW was reintroduced, that the 257 Roberts was chambered in the M70 FW.

Yes, that is a damn nice rifle. The bad thing about having one like that is you don't need anything else....

That's really a pizzer. I like the parent case of the 257 much better than the parent case of the 243. I still think they fu cked up and they probably realized that. Hence the reason for bringing it back in 1980 or so when they re-introduced the fwt. rifles...

Even though a person doesn't need another rifle they want another one:) Maybe the next one will be a 6.5X55 with a full Manlichner stock.